Democrats warn the major changes will benefit the wealthy and hit low-income earners hardest – key US politics stories from Friday 4 July at a glance
Donald Trump kicked off Independence Day by signing into law his sweeping tax and spending bill during a Fourth of July picnic at the White House.
The president’s signature legislation, which he called the “big, beautiful bill”, introduces major changes including tax cuts, spending boosts for defence and more aggressive funding for an immigration crackdown.
Trump says the changes will spur economic growth, but Democrats described the passage of the bill as a “dark day” for the nation, warning it will benefit the wealthy and hit low-income earners the hardest.
Here are the key US politics stories at a glance.
The president signed his sweeping spending package into law on Friday during a Fourth of July picnic at the White House, significantly cutting back on federal safety-net programs and increasing funds for aggressive immigration enforcement.
During the picnic Donald Trump gloated about the bill’s passing. “It’s the most popular bill ever signed in the history of the country,” Trump said, while standing next to his wife, Melania Trump. “What we’ve done is put everything into one bill. We’ve never had anything like that before.”
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Democrats have erupted in a storm of outrage over the passage of Trump’s budget bill, delivering scathing critiques that offered signs of the attack lines the party could wield against Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.
Democratic leaders released a wave of statements reflecting their fury after the sweeping bill’s passage on Thursday.
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The president of El Salvador has denied claims that Kilmar Ábrego García was subjected to beatings and deprivation while he was held in a notorious prison before being returned to the US to face human-smuggling charges.
Nayib Bukele said in a social media post that Ábrego García, the Salvadorian national who was wrongly extradited from the US to El Salvador in March before being returned in June, “wasn’t tortured, nor did he lose weight”.
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Eight migrants lost their last-ditch effort to halt their deportation to South Sudan by the Trump administration on Friday, clearing the way for their imminent transfer after a judge in Massachusetts denied their request.
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A group of Florida lawmakers were denied entry on Thursday into the new Florida-based immigration jail dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”, one day after the first immigrant detainees began to arrive.
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Donald Trump spoke with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday as the US president appears increasingly disheartened over his chances of fulfilling a campaign pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
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‘Catastrophic’ flood in Texas kills at least 13, including children, with more missing from summer camp.
Joey Chestnut regains title in New York hotdog eating contest.
Lost Thomas Jefferson letter on arms and democracy resurfaces for Fourth of July sale.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 3 July 2025.