AFP USA

US President Donald Trump signed his flagship tax and spending bill into law Friday, capping a grandiose White House Independence Day ceremony featuring a stealth bomber fly-by.”America is winning, winning, winning like never before,” Trump said before signing the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” while flanked by Republican lawmakers who helped push it through Congress.Trump also played down criticism by Democrats that the unpopular legislation will slash social welfare programs, saying: “You won’t even notice it.”With First Lady Melania Trump at his side, Trump watched from the White House balcony as two B-2 bombers — the same type that recently struck Iranian nuclear sites — roared overhead, accompanied by F-35 and F-22 fighter jets.The 79-year-old’s victory lap came a day after Republicans fell into line and passed the sprawling mega-bill, allowing him to sign it as he had hoped on the Fourth of July holiday.The bill honors many of Trump’s campaign promises: extending tax cuts from his first term, boosting military spending and providing massive new funding for Trump’s migrant deportation drive.- ‘Never been anything like it’ -The legislation’s signing caps two weeks of significant wins for Trump that have seen him tighten his grip on power and his party alike.The successes include the recent Iran-Israel ceasefire that was sealed after what he called the “flawless” US air strikes on Iran.Pilots who carried out the bombing on Iran were among those invited to the White House event, which included a picnic for military families on the South Lawn.”The last two weeks, there has never been anything like it, as far as winning,” said Trump.Trump had however forced through the tax bill despite deep misgivings in the Republican Party that it would balloon the national debt.The legislation is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit.It squeezed past a final vote in the House of Representatives 218-214 after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral the final group of dissenters.Trump thanked Johnson at the White House event, saying: “What a job.”- ‘Horrible day’ -Trump’s billionaire former ally Elon Musk was among the most vocal critics, and he has pledged to set up a new political party to oppose Republicans who backed the bill. Democrats and many voters have meanwhile expressed concerns that the “big beatuiful bill” will gut health and welfare support.The bill will force through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch, while also shrinking federal food assistance programs. Up to 17 million people could lose their insurance coverage under the bill, according to some estimates. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close as a result.But Trump played down the concerns.”They’ve developed a standard line, and we can’t let them get away with it. ‘Oh, it’s dangerous. Oh, everybody’s going to die.’ It’s actually just the opposite,” said Trump.Democrats hope public opposition to the bill will help them flip the House in the 2026 midterm election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.People attending the Fourth of July parade in Washington on Saturday had mixed feelings.”Yesterday was a horrible day, today is the best part of America,” said Elisabeth Hubir, 70.

BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry Donald Trump’s hardline trade policies, but are struggling to bridge divides over crises roiling the Middle East.Emerging nations representing about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output are set to unite over what they see as unfair US import tariffs, according to sources familiar with summit negotiations.Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive tariffs.His latest salvo comes in the form of letters due to be sent starting Friday informing trading partners of new tariff rates expected next week on July 9.Diplomats from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been busy drafting a statement condemning the economic uncertainty.Any final summit declaration is not expected to mention the United States or its president by name. But it is expected to be a clear political shot directed at Washington.”We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University said.This is particularly the case for China, which has only recently negotiated with the US to lower steep tit-for-tat levies.”This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, Fernandez said.- Xi no show -Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power.But the summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.”I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Hass said  Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that India’s prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.”I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.- Middle path -Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were still in disagreement over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel.  Iranian negotiators are pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch.But it has also opened many new fault lines.Brazil hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.

Mark Snow, a composer of music for television — including the distinctively eerie theme for “The X Files” — has died at age 78, his agent confirmed.A cause of death was not provided, but Hollywood trade publication Variety said Snow died Friday at his residence in the northeastern state of Connecticut.In addition to “The X Files” main theme, which was released as a single in 1996 and charted internationally, Snow composed the music for over 200 episodes and both feature films of the hit science fiction show about a pair of paranormal FBI investigators.Born Martin Fulterman on August 26, 1946, Snow grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended the prestigious Juilliard School. He began composing music for television in the late 1970s, garnering 15 Emmy nominations over the course of his career. In addition to “The X Files,” Snow composed the music for other US television series, including “Blue Bloods,” “Smallville” and “Hart to Hart.”He is survived by his wife Glynnis, three daughters, and grandchildren, Variety reported.

BRICS leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday, with the bloc depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years.The grouping — often seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power — meets as members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the United States.Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest.China has not said why Xi will miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2012.”I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.So too will Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel. Hass said that Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that India’s prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said. “I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year.Lula is expected to run again for an unprecedented fourth term in office.- ‘Cautious tone’ -For BRICS leaders who do make the trip to the “cidade maravilhosa” — the marvelous city — the economy will be top of the agenda.Lula on Friday defended the idea of finding an alternative to the dollar for trade among BRICS nations.”I know it is complicated. There are political problems,” Lula said at a BRICS banking event. “But if we do not find a new formula, we are going to finish the 21st century the way we started the 20th.”But with many, including China, locked in difficult trade negotiations with the United States, they may be wary of roiling the mercurial US president.President Donald Trump has warned that starting Friday, countries will receive letters stating the amount their exports to the United States will be tariffed.He has also threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that challenge the dollar’s international dominance.”We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University, told AFP.This is particularly the case for China, she said: “This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies.On a range of other issues, from the Middle East to climate, BRICS members will have to overcome deep-seated differences.- Consensus-building difficult -Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia.Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch. The BRICS now represent nearly half of the world’s population and 40 percent of its GDP. But it has also opened many new fault lines, not least over how strongly to challenge the United States.This expansion “makes it all the more difficult to build a strong consensus,” said Fernandez.BRICS members did not issue a strong statement on the Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US military strikes due to their “diverging” interests, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.Brazil, nevertheless, hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.Artificial intelligence and global governance reform will also be on the menu.

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut recaptured his title at the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on Friday in Brooklyn, downing 70.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in the July 4th holiday classic.The 41-year-old American missed last year’s event after signing a deal with Impossible Foods, whose plant-based products include hot dogs, but he was allowed to enter this year and made his Coney Island comeback a triumphant one.Chestnut won by 24 hot dogs over last year’s winner, Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago, but the maestro of mastication could not break his own record of 76 hot dogs that he consumed in 2021.It marked the 17th time Chestnut claimed the “Mustard Belt” symbolic of supremacy in the gastronomic showdown and his ninth triumph in 10 years.”Oh my gosh, I was nervous,” Chestnut told event telecaster ESPN after his victory. “First couple of hot dogs, I was fumbling a little bit, but I found a pretty good rhythm.”Chestnut said that despite his blowout triumph, he was hoping to make a better show of challenging his record consumption total.”My goal was 70 to 77,” he said. “I really wanted a little bit more. There’s next year and I’m just happy I’m here.”On the women’s side, American Miki Sudo won by eating 33 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, her 11th victory in the past 12 years, with American Michelle Lesco second on 22.75 dogs and buns.Sudo, who set the women’s record of 51 last year, did not compete in 2021 while pregnant, with Lesco winning that year.

Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine.Earlier, AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump and said they agreed to work on bolstering the country’s defences against aerial bombardment.”We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” Zelensky said on social media after the call.Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday felt different from others.”Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said.The Kremlin said Friday it was “preferable” to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means.”But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia’s invasion.- ‘War and terror’ -Zelensky said air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way.”Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” he said on social media.He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed.Germany’s foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack showed that Moscow was continuing to “rely on brute force”. “Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less,” the ministry said on social media.Berlin was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine, a German government spokesman told reporters.In Kyiv, one person was pulled from the rubble after the strikes, which also wounded at least 26 people, emergency services said.The barrage, according to the air force, comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles. A representative of Ukraine’s air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion.- ‘Complete disregard’ -Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks.An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station.Yuliia Golovnina, who said she sheltered at the metro regularly, described the worry that came with hearing an explosion during an attack.”Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?” the 47-year-old said.”In those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next,” she added.In Kyiv, concerns mounted over whether the US would continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to “step up”.Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, the acting governor of the Rostov region said.Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled.Delegations from the two sides last met more than a month ago, when they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine on Friday as part of that agreement.

The BRICS nations will convene for a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around US President Donald Trump’s policies.The city, with beefed-up security, will play host to leaders and diplomats from 11 emerging economies including China, India, Russia, South Africa and host Brazil, which represent nearly half of the world’s population and 40 percent of its GDP. Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will have to navigate the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will miss the summit for the first time.Beijing will instead be represented by Premier Li Qiang.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing a pending International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, will not travel to Brazil, but is set to participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, fresh from a 12-day conflict with Israel and a skirmish with the United States, will also be absent, as will his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a Brazilian government source told AFP.Tensions in the Middle East, including Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, will weigh on the summit, as well as the grim anticipation of tariffs threatened by Trump and due next week.Trump said that starting Friday, his administration would send countries letters stating their tariff levels, as negotiations to avoid higher US levies enter the final stretch.- ‘Cautious’ -“We’re anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University, told AFP.China, for example, “is trying to adopt a restrained position on the Middle East,” Fernandez said, pointing out that Beijing was also in tricky tariff negotiations with Washington.”This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, the researcher said.BRICS members did not issue a strong statement on the Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US military strikes due to their “diverging” interests, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.Brazil nevertheless hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues.”BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.Lula on Friday again defended the idea of finding an alternative to the dollar for trade among BRICS nations.”I know it is complicated. There are political problems,” Lula said at a BRICS banking event. “But if we do not find a new formula, we are going to finish the 21st century the way we started the 20th.”- ‘Multilateralism’ -However, talks on this idea are likely dead in the water.For Fernandez, it is almost “forbidden” to mention the idea within the group since Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that challenge the dollar’s international dominance.Brazil, which later this year will host the COP30 UN climate conference, also hopes to find unity on the fight against climate change.Artificial intelligence and global governance reform will also be on the menu.”The escalation of the Middle East conflict reinforces the urgency of the debate on the need to reform global governance and strengthen multilateralism,” said foreign minister Vieira.Since 2023, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia have joined BRICS, formed in 2009 as a counter-balance to leading Western economies.But, as Fernandez points out, this expansion “makes it all the more difficult to build a strong consensus.”

Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine.Earlier, AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump and said they agreed to work on bolstering the country’s defences against aerial bombardment.”We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” Zelensky said on social media after the call.Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday felt different from others.”Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said.The Kremlin said Friday it was “preferable” to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means.”But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia’s invasion.- ‘War and terror’ -Zelensky said air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way.”Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” he said on social media.He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed.Germany’s foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack showed that Moscow was continuing to “rely on brute force”. “Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less,” the ministry said on social media.Berlin was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine, a German government spokesman told reporters.In Kyiv, one person was pulled from the rubble after the strikes, which also wounded at least 26 people, emergency services said.The barrage, according to the air force, comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles. A representative of Ukraine’s air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion.- ‘Complete disregard’ -Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks.An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station.Yuliia Golovnina, who said she sheltered at the metro regularly, described the worry that came with hearing an explosion during an attack.”Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?” the 47-year-old said.”In those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next,” she added.In Kyiv, concerns mounted over whether the US would continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to “step up”.Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, the acting governor of the Rostov region said.Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled.Delegations from the two sides last met more than a month ago, when they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine on Friday as part of that agreement.

US President Donald Trump prepared Friday to sign his flagship tax and spending bill in a pomp-laden Independence Day ceremony featuring fireworks and a flypast by the type of stealth bomber that bombed Iran.Trump pushed Republican lawmakers to get his unpopular “One Big Beautiful Bill” through a reluctant Congress in time for him to sign it into law on the US national holiday — and they did so with a day to spare Thursday.Ever the showman, Trump will now meld a victory lap over the bill — which cements his radical second term agenda — with a grand party at the White House marking 249 years of independence from Britain.Trump announced a signing ceremony at the White House for 4:00 pm (2000 GMT)and said pilots who carried out the bombing on Iran were among those who had been invited.Looking jubilant at a rally Thursday in Iowa after the bill passed, Trump said “the age of America is upon us. This is a golden age.”The bill, which includes massive new funding for Trump’s migrant deportation drive, is the latest in a series of big political wins at home and abroad for the 79-year-old tycoon, and underscores his dominance over both the Republican Party and US politics at large, for now.His administration has meanwhile glossed over deep concerns from his own party and voters that it will balloon the national debt, while simultaneously gutting health and welfare support.White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett on Friday rebuffed the criticism, claiming the bill will produce “a real blowout for growth.””Nobody’s going to lose their health insurance because of this,” Hassett told Fox News, rejecting nonpartisan analyses estimating millions of poor Americans will lose health coverage on the government-funded Medicaid program.First Lady Melania Trump was also set to attend the Independence Day event.The president’s wife had told reporters on Thursday that a B-2 bomber, the type of aircraft that bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22, and fighter jets would carry out a flypast for the July 4 event.And Trump told the rally-goers in Iowa that the pilots and others who worked on the mission would join him for the festivities.”They’re going to be in Washington tomorrow, at the White House, we’re going to be celebrating,” he said.- Deep misgivings -Trump forced through the bill despite deep misgivings in the Republican Party — and the vocal opposition of his billionaire former ally, Elon Musk.It squeezed past a final vote in the House of Representatives 218-214 after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral the final group of dissenters.The sprawling mega-bill honors many of Trump’s campaign promises: boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief.The legislation is the latest in a series of big wins for Trump, including a Supreme Court ruling last week that curbed lone federal judges from blocking his policies, and the US air strikes that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.But it is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit.At the same time it will shrink the federal food assistance program and force through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch.Up to 17 million people could lose their insurance coverage under the bill, according to some estimates. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close as a result.Democrats hope public opposition to the bill will help them flip the House in the 2026 midterm election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.

The Kremlin said on Friday that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after launching its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.The hours-long bombardments across Ukraine came just after a telephone call between the US and Russian presidents ended without any breakthrough.AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.”We are interested in achieving our goals in the course of the special military operation and it is preferable to do it by political and diplomatic means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to its invasion, launched in February 2022.”But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation,” he said in a briefing, including with AFP. US President Donald Trump had said he made no progress in discussions one day earlier with President Vladimir Putin on ending the war, while the Kremlin vowed to pursue its war aims.A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky were planning to speak later on Friday.Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday was different.”Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said.- ‘War and terror’ -Zelensky said air alerts had begun echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting underway.”Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” Zelensky said on social media.”All of this is clear evidence that without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behaviour.”He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed.Germany’s foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack — just after the leaders’ call — showed that Moscow “continues to rely on brute force”. “Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less,” the ministry said on social media.A government spokesman said Germany was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine.Zelensky said 23 people were wounded in the barrage, which the air force said comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles.A representative of Ukraine’s air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion, launched in February 2022.- ‘Complete disregard’ -Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks. An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station. Yuliia Golovnina, who said she shelters at the metro regularly, described to AFP the worry that comes with hearing an explosion during an attack.”Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?” the 47-year-old said.”So in those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next,” she added.In Kyiv, concerns mount over whether the US will continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine’s ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages. The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to “step up”.Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed when a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building, the acting regional governor in Rostov said.Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled but Ukraine and Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine.The two sides said it was part of agreements reached during talks in Istanbul last month.