US House Republicans advance Trump tax-cut bill opening way for debate
The House voted 219-213 to move forward.
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Al Arabiya
33 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Putin to speak with Trump: Media
Visitors stand in front of a a fragment of an artwork depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an exhibition, which is called Yalta 2.0 and opened to make a reference to the 1945 Yalta Conference, at an art gallery in Livadia park in Yalta, Crimea, February 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
U.S. applications for jobless aid fell to 233,000 last week as layoffs remain low
Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs in the US remain low despite uncertainty about how tariffs will impact the economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending June 28 fell by 4,000 to 233,000–less than the 241,000 that analysts forecast. Applications for unemployment aid are considered a proxy for layoffs. In a separate report Thursday, the Labor Department reported that US employers added 147,000 jobs in June–a sign that the American labor market continues to show surprising resilience despite uncertainty over President Donald Trump's economic policies. The job gains were much bigger than expected, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent from 4.2 percent in May. Analysts had forecast that unemployment would rise to 4.3 percent. While layoffs remain historically low, many companies have announced job cuts this year, including Procter & Gamble, Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Facebook parent company Meta. On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it is laying off about 9,000 workers–its second mass layoff in months and its largest in more than two years. Earlier this month, Google confirmed that it had offered buyouts to another swathe of its workforce in a fresh round of cost-cutting ahead of a court decision that could order a breakup of its internet empire. The Labor Department's unemployment benefits report showed that the four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, fell by 3,750 to 241,500. The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits the week of June 21 held steady at 1.97 million.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as Israeli strikes kill scores more in Gaza
Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war's end, a source close to the militant group said on Thursday, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed scores more people. Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began. On the ground, intensified Israeli strikes across Gaza continued unabated, killing at least 59 people on Thursday, according to health authorities in the territory. Efforts for a Gaza truce have gathered steam after the US secured a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalize a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war's end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said that those details were still being worked out. Ending the war has been the main sticking point in repeated rounds of failed negotiations. A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas' response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal. It was unclear whether those would be held in Egypt or Qatar, the two countries that have been mediating talks. The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, sources say. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive. A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal even as the premier heads to Washington to meet Trump on Monday. 'Readiness to advance' Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who sits on Netanyahu's security cabinet, told news website Ynet that there was 'definitely readiness to advance a deal.' In Gaza, however, there was little sign of relief. At least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a school in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering, according to medics. 'Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don't know what happened,' one witness, Wafaa Al-Arqan, told Reuters. 'What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?' According to medics at Nasser hospital farther south, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire en route to an aid distribution site. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports and that its forces were taking precautions to mitigate harm to civilians as it battled Palestinian militants throughout Gaza. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins. Israel says it won't end the war while Hamas is still armed and ruling Gaza. Hamas, severely weakened, says it won't lay down its weapons but is willing to release all the hostages still in Gaza if Israel ends the war.
