BBC News Briefing

3 July, 2025

Alex Binley

Hello. After another mammoth session in the House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump's huge spending bill looks set to be passed in a final vote in the coming hours. In Spain, police have confirmed the death of Liverpool and Portugal international footballer Diogo Jota. And following the conclusion of the trial against Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the hip hop mogul's ex-employees tell the BBC just what it was like to work for him.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump's mega-bill heads for final vote in overnight US House session

Trump had personally put pressure on rebel Republicans to try to get the sprawling legislation signed off. Credit: Getty Images

US President Donald Trump’s mega-bill on tax and spending could soon become law, after passing a key procedural hurdle in the House of Representatives. Several members of his own Republican Party had joined Democrats in criticising the bill for a variety of reasons - including the impact on US national debt and healthcare - but in the early hours of the morning, these holdouts flipped and a final ballot looks set to pass. With the plan appearing likely to be approved by Congress in the coming hours, the stage would then be set for Trump to get the legislation signed off as planned by US Independence Day on 4 July.

Get the latest

What's in the bill? From sweeping changes to taxes, Social Security and cuts to Medicaid, these are some of the key items and hotly-debated issues in the bill

Bill's impact: Here's what impact the plan could have on savings and spending over the next decade.

Marathon Senate sitting: After more than 24 hours of intense debate on Tuesday, Vice-President JD Vance cast the tie-breaker, allowing the bill to clear the upper House.

Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash

Liverpool and Portugal international footballer Diogo Jota has died in a car crash in Spain. Police said that the car he was travelling in with his brother Andre Silva suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking another car, crashed off the road and caught fire, killing both men. The 28-year-old married his partner less than two weeks ago. Last week, the pair shared pictures of their wedding day, along with their three children, on social media.

Latest updates

WORLD HEADLINES

Mass evacuations as wildfire rages in Crete

The fire, which continues to burn out of control, has been fanned by gale-force winds after breaking out on Wednesday.

Watch the footage >

Two women siton chairs crying. One woman wears a yellow dress and has long black hair in a ponytail. She is holding a sleeping child. A woman in a yellow jacket and black headscarf ugs her

Five dead, dozens missing after ferry sinks off Bali

The boat was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew when it sank on its way to Bali from Banyuwangi on Java's east coast.

What happened >

A mamn with short black hair and glasses smiles. only his head and shoulders can be seen but he is wearing a blue shirt and grey suit jacket

'Gaza hospital director killed in Israeli strike'

Dr Marwan Sultan was killed in an air strike on his home, along with family members, Gaza's health ministry said.

Read more >

The silhouetted of an island can be seen at sea. It is a long way off and it is cloudy, making the sea look grey

Japan islanders hit by 900 earthquakes in two weeks

"It's very scary to even fall asleep," one resident told a regional broadcaster. "It feels like it's always shaking."

More on this >

A ewoman sit at a desk in a white office. She has short, smart white hair, and holds her glasses in her hand, with part of the frame in her mouth

The Devil Wears Prada 2: Everything we know so far

A sequel? For spring? Goundbreaking. We have a date and who's returning, but other details are being kept under wraps.

What we know >

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Diddy's secret world revealed in videos and his voice notes

An image shows Sean 'Diddy' Combs wearing a white jacket. He has short black hair and a black beard and hasa diamond stud in one ear. This image is part of a composite and also shows on the left him sitting on a red inflatable in a pool, talking to two men, and on the right, a sprawling white house with a brown tiled roof

Staff say Diddy was intense, demanding and volatile, with some attributing his unpredictability to a lifestyle of drug-fuelled parties. Credit: BBC

The secret world of Sean 'Diddy' Combs was blown wide open at trial, with details of drug-fuelled orgies laid bare before the world. At the trial's conclusion on Wednesday, the 55-year-old was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted of racketeering and sex-trafficking. Some of his former employees have shared messages, voice notes and videos with the BBC that paint a picture of a "scary" and unpredictable boss, who would administer shocking "loyalty tests", and whose demands grew more and more extreme.