Big Beautiful Bill's Senate pass, heat domes and Dalai Lama
11:25 Share

Today, the Senate passes Trump's big beautiful bill, as his feud with Elon Musk escalates. Europe suffers under a heat dome, and how the next Dalai Lama will be chosen. It's Tuesday, July 1st. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the frontlines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Kim Van Nel in Whanganui, New Zealand. And I'm Christopher Waljasper in Chicago.

Put us in a box. Go ahead. That just gives us something to break out of. Because the next generation 2025 GMC Terrain Elevation is raising the standard of what comes standard. As far as expectations go, why meet them when you can shatter them? What we choose to challenge, we challenge completely. We are professional grade. Visit GMC.com to learn more.

The U.S. Senate has passed Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill. It now heads back to the House for its final stamp. And it could be on President Donald Trump's desk before the July 4th holiday. It's been a ride as Trump's Republicans have shepherded this massive bill through a Congress they control by a tiny margin.

Here to tell us more is our U.S. politics editor, Scott Malone. After a marathon session in the Senate that ran through the weekend and all night Monday into Tuesday, Republicans have mustered the votes to pass Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill, sending it on to the House of Representatives for final passage. The

The bill will enact most of Trump's agenda, including extending his 2017 tax cuts, providing more funding for border security and the military. And according to nonpartisan analysts, add about $3.3 trillion to the national debt. That's a number that Republicans dispute, but kind of using longstanding methods of scoring these bills. That's what the math suggests.

Next steps up goes to the House. The House is also controlled by Trump's Republicans, but also narrowly. Once again, they can afford to lose no more than three votes if they want to pass it. House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeated his commitment to pass the bill in time for Trump's July 4th holiday deadline. And we will see what happens next.

The Senate's passage of the big, beautiful bill will likely underscore an ongoing big, broad brawl between the president and the world's richest man. Trump has threatened to cut off billions of dollars in subsidies that Elon Musk's companies receive. That includes subsidies for EV purchases that massively benefit Tesla.

And he suggested that Doge look into those subsidies in order to save the federal government money. We'll dig into the risk to Musk's empire in tomorrow's podcast. As Trump enjoys the Senate's passage of his bill, he heads to Florida, where he'll be attending the opening of a temporary migrant detention center. It's been dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, according to a source.

His visit comes as he seeks to ramp up detentions and deportations, saying it was needed after millions crossed the border during Biden's administration. The man suspected of shooting two firefighters dead in Idaho before killing himself has been identified as 20-year-old Wes Rowley. Authorities say Rowley started the fire to lure the responders there. He's been described as a young drifter whose motive remains a mystery.

And a Thai court has suspended the Prime Minister from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal. The court in a statement said it had accepted a petition from dozens of senators that accuses Patagon Shinawatra of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution. Europe is sweltering under high temperatures caused by a heat dome.

But what exactly is a heat dome? Our European climate and energy correspondent Kate Abnett is here to explain. A heat dome is a blocking weather system. It's an area of high pressure in the atmosphere that gets stuck because the atmospheric dynamics around the high pressure system stop it from moving. And it works like putting a lid on a boiling pot and

And the high pressure system traps hot air below it, which heats up and compresses to form this dome. And this dome intensifies heat in the region below. And Europe is the world's fastest warming continent. But this isn't just a European thing, right? These can happen anywhere in the world. It's a phenomenon we've seen in other regions as well. And just in the last few weeks, we saw a heat dome occur in the United States.

And there is a global trend at play here linked to climate change, which is that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which are mostly from burning fossil fuels, has raised the planet's average overall temperature over time.

That increase in baseline temperatures will, according to forecasts, have the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu mostly underwater within the next 25 years. And while the country is making plans for that by sending its first climate change refugees to Australia, right now it has another problem on its hands. Tuvalu says it's been accidentally added to Washington's potential travel ban list.

Kirsty Needham is in Sydney. One other aspect about this list that was causing concern in the Pacific was Washington had suggested that some of these 36 countries should be accepting deportees from the United States. Now, obviously, this was going to be problematic for Tuvalu, which is 400 metres wide at its widest.

But a lot of villages cling to a slice of land just 20 metres wide. And many of those people are trying to get out.

That's right. NASA scientists have a dire prediction that by 2050, daily tides will submerge half of the main atoll, Funafuti, where 60% of the population live. So Australia and Tuvalu have struck a landmark climate agreement that will allow 280 people a year from Tuvalu to migrate to Australia to live, work and have the benefits of health care.

And already over a third of the population have applied. The Dalai Lama, who is about to turn 90, will in the coming days reveal how his successor will be chosen. He's lived in exile in northern India since 1959 after fleeing a failed uprising against the rule of Mao Zedong's communists. China says its leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor as a legacy from imperial times.

Krishna Das is on site for the major gathering of Buddhist religious figures this week. Krishna, walk us through how the Dalai Lama's successor is traditionally found. So what happened with the current Dalai Lama was he was identified at the age of two in Tibet. An oracle would have a vision, the previous Dalai Lama would possibly

leave some clues and then a team of government people would go and look for a child who would be the next Dalai Lama. What's different is, you know, the Dalai Lama set up a foundation in 2015 called Kedan For Drang Foundation. Its members are some of his aides. And what they will do is, once the Dalai Lama has passed away, they will be responsible to identify the next Dalai Lama.

What's the vibe like there? Lots of celebrities and tourists have arrived, right? Even Richard Gere? He has been a great follower of the Dalai Lama for a very long time. Along with Nancy Pelosi of the US, Richard Gere is one of the, these two people are some of the greatest world supporters of the Dalai Lama and the cause of the Tibetans.

Shop 4th of July savings at the Home Depot right now and get up to 40% off. Plus up to an extra $600 off select appliances with free delivery like Samsung. From all-in-one washer dryers to smart refrigerators, upgrade to tech you can trust. With Samsung appliances, the Home Depot has what you need to simplify your routine. Don't miss 4th of July appliance savings at the Home Depot. Free delivery on appliance purchases of $396 or more. Offer valid June 18th through July 9th. U.S. only. See store or online for details.

And for today's recommended read, a Reuters investigation into a wave of killings in Alawite communities along Syria's Mediterranean coast in March.

Our investigation has pieced together how the massacres unfolded, identifying a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to the men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. You can read the full story on the link in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. And don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.