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PROGRAMMING NOTE: In recognition of the Independence Day holiday here in the U.S., we will not be publishing an edition of the Daily Brief tomorrow, Friday, July 4. We look forward to resuming regular service on Monday, July 7.

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The Palestinian-run Gaza Health Ministry says 94 people were killed overnight in Gaza, including 49 in Israeli airstrikes and 45 who had gathered at aid distribution sites across the territory. [more]
• In a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council today, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese characterized Israel's military actions in Gaza as "one of the cruelest genocides in modern history" and called for states to impose an arms embargo and cut off trade and financial ties with Israel. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1225 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• The Russian Defense Ministry says Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy and a former commander of a marine brigade fighting against Ukraine, was killed by Ukrainian forces yesterday "during combat work in one of the border districts of the Kursk region." [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Police in Chicago, Illinois, say four people were killed, and 14 others were wounded, in a drive-by shooting outside a restaurant and lounge late last night in the city's River North neighborhood. There have been no arrests in the incident, which remains under investigation. [more]

U.S. SPENDING AND TAX BILL | Following all-night procedural sessions and debate, the House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the Trump-backed, so-called "one big, beautiful bill" of spending and tax measures that includes, among other things, tax breaks, spending cuts, a rollback of solar energy tax credits, and new money for national defense and immigration enforcement. In its latest analysis, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit and result in about 11.8 million more Americans becoming uninsured over the next 10 years. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION DETENTION | Authorities in Florida say the first immigrant detainees are expected to arrive at the new so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility in the Florida Everglades today. The facility, controlled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was built in just eight days and is expected to have a capacity of 3,000-5,000 detainees when fully operational. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Labor Department data released today shows that U.S. employers added a higher-than-expected 147,000 jobs in June – up from 144,000 in May – and that the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.1% for the month. The report comes a day after payroll processor ADP reported that private companies in the U.S. cut 33,000 jobs in May. [more]

U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER | Washington-based U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss yesterday blocked a Trump administration executive order that suspended applications for asylum at the U.S. southern border. Moss put his ruling on hold until July 16 to give the government time to appeal. [more]

WISCONSIN | The state Supreme Court struck down a 176-year-old abortion ban in Wisconsin yesterday that supporters argued was reactivated when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022. The court ruled, in a 4-3 decision, that abortion-related legislation passed in the state since Roe v. Wade was "clearly meant as a substitute for the 19th century near-total ban on abortion." [more]

U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA | South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said today that it remains unclear if his country and the United States will reach a new trade and tariff agreement by the July 9 deadline for such deals set by U.S. President Donald Trump. [more]

EUROPEAN UNION | Denmark today began its eighth E.U. presidency since joining the bloc in 1973, with Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre calling for European unity at a related event and saying that, with the United States turning increasingly inward, "Europe can no longer be in the shadow of the United States. We need now to stand on our own two feet.” [more]

GREECE | Local authorities say more than 1,500 people have been evacuated from hotels and homes in the southern Ierapetra area of the Greek island of Crete amidst an ongoing wildfire being spread by strong winds. [more]

INDONESIA | Emergency officials say five people died and 31 have been rescued following the overnight sinking of a ferry near the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Twenty-nine people remain missing in the incident, according to reports. [more]

HAITI | Speaking before the U.N. Security Council yesterday, Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said armed gangs control an estimated 90% of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and appear to be expanding attacks into previously peaceful areas. [more]

SERBIA | Reports say Serbian police arrested 79 protesters in the capital Belgrade and other cities overnight amidst persistent demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vucic's populist government. [more]

TECH INDUSTRY | In its second such move in months, tech giant Microsoft announced yesterday that it is cutting some 9,000 jobs at multiple locations around the world, including about 830 at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. [more]

BASEBALL | Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Clayton Kershaw struck out Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox yesterday in a 5-4 Dodgers' win to become just the 20th pitcher in Major League Baseball to strike out 3,000 batters. [more]

CELEBRITY TRIAL | Three-time Grammy award winner Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted of prostitution-related crimes yesterday, but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs, who was denied bail pending sentencing, faces up to 10 years in prison following the conviction. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1863, following three days of intense fighting and more than 50,000 soldiers being wounded or killed, the Battle of Gettysburg ended with a victory for the Union forces –  a major turning point in the American Civil War. [more history]